Can You Apply Early Decision and Still Get Financial Aid?

July 16, 2015

Hosted by Elizabeth Heaton

Guest Information

Episode Description

Early decision is a way for students to show commitment to their top choice college and get an early answer at the same time. But you may not be aware that there can be significant financial implications to this binding option. We'll dig into what applying under this program can mean for financial aid and scholarships. We’re also going to wrap up our four-part segment on the high school years with a final piece on what to focus on senior year. Finally, we’re going to cover the impact of learning differences on the college process and offer tips on how to manage those challenges.

Getting In: A College Coach Conversation

Thursday at 1 PM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel

Did you know that college applications and public college tuition are both up 60 percent since 2002? Getting In: A College Coach Conversation, helps parents and students navigate this changing and challenging landscape. Each week, College Coach experts, all former admissions and financial aid officers, and other industry professionals offer factual information and strategic advice on a range of admissions and college finance topics, including approaching and crafting essays, successfully appealing financial aid decisions, selecting the right college, and determining the most effective savings vehicle to help pay for it. From understanding how institutions evaluate applications to putting together a solid college payment strategy to effectively planning a high school academic and extracurricular program, Getting In addresses the questions and concerns facing all families embarking on the college admissions process. Tune in Thursdays at 1 PM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety.

Elizabeth Heaton

Elizabeth Heaton is the senior director of educational consulting and strategic marketing at College Coach, the nation’s leading provider of educational advisory services. Ms. Heaton began her admissions career at the University of Pennsylvania, where she chaired university selection committees, evaluated potential athletic recruits as one of the school’s athletics liaisons, and oversaw the university’s portfolio of admissions publications. She also served as second chair in the selection committee for the school's flagship interdisciplinary Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology. A graduate of Cornell University, Ms. Heaton brings exceptional skills to the craft of essay writing paired with experience reading and evaluating thousands of Penn admissions applications. She is featured regularly in news outlets including Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, Time, US News and World Report, Boston Globe, and ABC News, among others, and can offer expert advice on a wide range of college admissions topics, from colleges’ expectations for high school curriculum choices and standardized test scores to choosing the right extracurricular activities and essay topics. Prior to joining Penn, Ms. Heaton worked as a public relations professional and served for a decade as a member of the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network.